Your AI-Trained Oncology Knowledge Connection!
Building on the landmark studies of the immunotherapeutic agent ipilimumab just a few years back, ASCO 2013 saw the presentation of truly impressive data on two PD1 blockers, as well as noteworthy studies of other immunotherapeutic approaches to advanced melanoma.
Remarkably, within 2 years of the introduction of ipilimumab and vemurafenib into the clinic, major new advances have been reported in both the immune checkpoint blockade and small-molecule kinase inhibition arenas.
We will absolutely need to continue our endeavors to evaluate reliable predictive biomarkers for both targeted drugs and immunotherapeutic agents to achieve a truly personalized melanoma therapy with the maximal clinical benefit.
Within the relatively short time that ipilimumab and vemurafenib have been commercially available, phase II data for the investigational agents nivolumab and MK-3475, for the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib, and for adoptive cell therapy strongly suggest even further improvements in treatment outcomes.
The FTO gene, which prior research has shown is strongly associated with obesity and body mass index (BMI), contains variants associated with an increased risk for malignant melanoma, according to the results of a genome-wide association study conducted by the GenoMEL consortium.
The MEK inhibitor MEK162 is the first agent to show some activity in patients with NRAS- and BRAF-mutated advanced melanoma, according to the conclusions of a phase II study, evaluating the drug’s safety and efficacy.
Using a novel combination, a new study suggests another way to inhibit the hedgehog signaling pathway to prevent or delay resistance to vismodegib in patients with basal cell carcinoma.
Preclinical analyses have indicated that microRNA-18b may have a role as a tumor suppressor, has the potential to be a biomarker for melanoma, and its overexpression may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of melanoma.
The overall diagnostic accuracy of smart phone applications designed to help nonclinicians identify malignant skin lesions was highly variable, with three of four of the applications wrongly classifying 30% of melanomas.
The anti–cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) antibody tremelimumab failed to achieve a significant improvement in survival among patients with metastatic melanoma compared with the standard of care treatments used in the comparator arm, according to the results of a phase III study.
Researchers using a mouse model of melanoma were able to prevent resistance to vemurafenib by altering the dosing schedule from a continuous daily dose to an intermittent dose.
No improvement in overall survival was seen in patients with metastatic melanoma who were assigned treatment with sorafenib in combination with carboplatin/paclitaxel for the treatment of their disease, according to the results of a double-blind, phase III study.
In this podcast we discuss the recent advances in the management and treatment of metastatic melanoma with Jeffrey Sosman, MD, medical oncologist and director of the Melanoma and Tumor Immunotherapy Program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
In this interview, Dr. Mario Sznol shares unique insights into two treatment approaches for melanoma--targeted therapies and a drug that targets the Programmed Death 1 pathway-including how they compare and how they might be combined.
We describe areas where major inroads were initially achieved by targeting angiogenesis and by unraveling pathways in the heterogeneous tumors of mesenchymal origin-spurred by the identification of c-Kit–activating mutations in GIST and the regressions that ensued when tumors harboring these mutations were exposed to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib (Gleevec).
A new review of the literature shows that melanoma is substantially more common in immunosuppressed patients, including those with prior solid organ transplant and individuals with lymphoma.
Phase II results presented at the ESMO 2012 Congress showed a 3.6-month improvement in progression-free survival for patients receiving both dabrafenib plus trametinib compared to those receiving dabrafenib alone.
Patients with node-negative melanoma undergoing sentinel lymph node excision who were given preoperative imaging with SPECT/CT experienced a higher frequency of metastatic involvement and a longer disease-free survival compared to those without preoperative SPECT/CT.
A new epigenetic hallmark of melanoma has been identified, which has a critical function in disease development, and may serve as a potential target for reversing melanoma progression.
The oral selective MEK inhibitor trametinib improved progression-free and overall survival over chemotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma with a BRAF mutation, according to a new phase III trial.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for patients with newly diagnosed intermediate-thickness melanomas, while the procedure may not be indicated for patients with thinner lesions, according to a new set of guidelines.
A new target of melanoma tumors has been identified that may be promising as part of a novel combination therapy for melanoma. In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers have identified that more than half of melanoma cases, both early and late-stage, may have higher levels of MDM4, a p53-interacting protein.
A new study finds cutaneous human papillomavirus infection can increase the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma, a nonmelanoma skin cancer.
In a phase III trial, the oral BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib, improved progression-free survival in previously untreated metastatic melanoma patients.
At the ASCO annual meeting, researchers presented persuasive evidence that a new class of targeted agents-MEK inhibitors-may warrant inclusion in the growing armamentarium for patients with advanced BRAF-mutated melanoma.
